Council approves plans for second Dublin Airport terminal

Plans were today passed for a new €395m terminal at Dublin Airport.

Fingal County Coucil gave the go-ahead for the second terminal which will handle up to 15 million passengers per year.

Construction of T2 is due to begin next year.

It will open within three years taking Dublin Airport’s capacity to a potential 35 million passengers per year.

The full cost of the plans, which includes new improved access roads and a major utilities upgrade, will exceed €600m.

Locations for a future metro station and a ground transportation centre have also been provided for in the Dublin Airport development plan.

In July 2005, Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) first announced plans to build a new 50,000sq metre passenger terminal building to the south of the existing terminal facility and to the rear of the existing Pier C.

Last August, bigger and more detailed plans were revealed featuring a 75,000 sq metre passenger terminal close to the roundabout on the existing approach road to Terminal One.

The design of T2 means that in the future the terminal can be extended in the future to 90,000 sq metres.

Permission was also sought for a new 24,000 sq meter pier building, Pier E, that will deliver up to 20 new aircraft boarding stands.

Dublin Airport Authority chief executive Declan Collier said T2 is a critical part of Ireland’s transport infrastructure.

He said he is delighted that the plans to transform Dublin Airport have cleared the first hurdle in the planning process and vowed that DAA will work to an extremely tight timeline to deliver the new capacity that Dublin Airport so badly needs.

“We will now study the decision in detail before making any further comment on the specifics of the planning permission that has been received,” he said.

“The planning process in Ireland is a democratic one and stakeholders are entitled to their views on infrastructure development.

“But we hope that if there are appeals to this decision, the appeal process moves ahead as swiftly as possible in the interests of all the users of Dublin Airport.”